The Magic Behind the Patriotic Lighting of Philadelphia Landmarks During the DNC

The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a historic week for the City of Philadelphia. To illustrate the patriotic ambiance of the city, The Lighting Practice cast numerous major buildings and landmarks in spectacular yet dignified light shows.

At Amtrak’s 30th Street Station, the programmable color-changing LED system swept stars and patriotic colors across the station’s east portico and glass bridges. Inside, the angel statue was washed in blue light. TLP worked with Center City District to synchronize City Hall’s patriotic lighting with the Avenue of the Arts’ permanent color-changing façade lighting. A dynamic lighting installation lit the south facade of City Hall’s tower in color-changing LEDs and theatrical gobos. South Broad Street and Filbert Street Corridor also glowed in red, white, and blue.

TLP directed and developed the design concepts and equipment layouts in partnership with Starlite Productions to illuminate 30th Street Station and City Hall’s clock tower. A recent article for Live Design notes that the design involved Clay Paky Mythos lighting fixtures distributed by A.C.T Lighting. In addition to their ability to highlight the structures in customized colors and patriotic themes, the Mythos fixtures were chosen due to their output and reliability.

The fixtures were mounted on poles about 50 feet from the building and protected by Clay Paky Igloos. The result was an impactful and distinguished look that captured the magnitude of the event – even during the DNC’s intensely hot and stormy weather.

Philadelphia’s festivities for the 2016 Democratic National Convention extended well beyond the historic happenings at Wells Fargo Center to include the city’s many landmarks. Starlite Productions was tasked with creating a patriotic ambiance for two of them with the help of Clay Paky Mythos lighting fixtures. A.C.T Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Clay Paky lighting in North America.

Starlite Productions of Moorestown, New Jersey provides entertainment lighting and AV for concerts, meetings and special events. The company was commissioned by The Lighting Practice to light 30th Street Station, Amtrak’s main railroad station in Philadelphia. The Lighting Practice and Center City District also commissioned Starlite to illuminate the iconic, clock tower perched atop City Hall, one of the largest municipal buildings in the world.

Starlite selected Clay Paky Mythos fixtures for both locations because of the lights’ reliability and output, says vice president of show technology, Jason Danowitz. “We’ve had a lot of experience with Mythos: We send them out constantly on touring productions,” he reports. “Using them for the DNC in Philadelphia gave us a nice opportunity to utilize the Mythos feature set for a local project.”

He recalls that Starlite was first asked to light the large windows of 30th Street Station. Then the scope was expanded to include the east façade, focusing on the dramatic portico with the windows set behind it.

To read more about the lighting magic behind the DNC, check out the full article in Live Design.